INTERCHURCH  WORLD  MOVEMENT  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 

WORLD  SURVEY 
CONFERENCE 

ATLANTIC  CITY 
JANUARY  7  to  10,  1920 

PRELIMINARY 

Statement  and  Budget  for 
Southeastern  Asia 

(French  Indo-China,  Siam,  Malaysia,  Oceania) 

The  Philippines 


PREPARED  BY 

SURVEY  DEPARTMENT- FOREIGN  DIVISION 


THIS  Survey  statement 
should  be  read  in  the  light 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  preliminary 
only,  and  will  be  revised  and 
enlarged  as  a  result  of  the  dis¬ 
cussions  and  recommendations 
of  the  World  Survey  Conference. 

The  entire  Survey  as  revised 
will  early  be  brought  together  in 
two  volumes,  American  and 
Foreign,  to  form  the  basis  of  the 
financial  campaign  to  follow. 

The  “Statistical  Mirror’’ will 
make  a  third  volume  dealing  with 
general  church,  missionary  and 
stewardship  data. 


INTERCHURCH  WORLD  MOVEMENT  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 


WORLD  SURVEY 
CONFERENCE 


ATLANTIC  CITY 
JANUARY  7  to  10,  1920 

PRELIMINARY 

Statement  and  Budget  for 
Southeastern  Asia 

(French  Indo-China,  Siam,  Malaysia,  Oceania) 

The  Philippines 


PREPARED  BY 

SURVEY  DEPARTMENT- FOREIGN  DIVISION 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 

Indo'China  Peninsula 

INCLUDING  FRENCH  INDO-CHINA  AND  SIAM 

Where  Buddhism  is  found  wanting  and  is  now  fast  waning. 

Where  an  intelligent  people  expectantly  await  the  message  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace. 

Where  the  church  faces  an  opportunity  to  atone  for  years  of  neglect. 

VIEWED  from  a  missionary  standpoint  this  strip  of  country  constitutes  one  of 
the  most  neglected  corners  of  the  world.  With  a  total  area  of  451,000  square 
miles  and  28,000,000  inhabitants,  only  sixty-nine  missionaries  are  on  the 
field — an  average  of  one  to  every  400,000  souls. 

The  greater  part  of  the  peninsula  is  mountainous  and  there  are  few  navigable  rivers. 
Consequently  the  people,  long  isolated,  have  kept  their  ancient  civilization. 

The  present  independence  of  Siam  is  a  lucid  comment  upon  the  wisdom  and  tenacity 
of  the  Tai  statesman,  whose  very  designation  means  “free.”  No  wonder  democracy 
thrives  in  this  rugged  land. 

Buddhism  is  the  almost  universal  religion,  but  it  is  a  Buddhism  liberally  modified  by 
elements  borrowed  from  animism  and  early  Brahmanism. 

Here  is  a  region  of  vast  resources,  forests,  mineral  wealth  and  fertile  rice  plains,  a 
heritage  which  has  attracted  the  interested  attention  of  several  Occidental  govern¬ 
ments. 

The  Tai,  Annamese  and  Cambodian  peoples  who  dominate  the  peninsula  are  passing 
through  a  transformation  inaugurated  by  the  invasion  of  Western  armies  and  traders 
and  accelerated  during  the  World  War.  Moreover,  these  frontier  peoples  took  an 
active  part  in  the  labors  and  fighting  in  France.  They  are  therefore  more  or  less 
familiar  with  the  Christian  religion  and  its  correlative  civilization,  and  this  knowledge 
has  reached  even  the  most  remote  hamlets. 

The  peoples  of  the  Peninsula  are  familiar  with  the  prophecy  which  teaches  that  the 
Buddhistic  era  is  to  end  when  men  fight  their  battles  under  the  ground,  in  the  depths 
of  the  sea  and  while  flying  in  the  air.  Buddha  also  taught  that  his  successor,  the  com¬ 
ing  Lord,  was  to  be  known  by  the  scars  in  the  palms  of  his  hands.  It  is  certainly 
time  to  press  home  to  them  the  gospel  of  the  Lord-of-the-pierced-hands. 


4  French  Indo-China  and  Siam :  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 


THE  governments  of  Siam  and  that  of  the 
French  in  Indo-China  are  stressing  the 
necessity  for  the  introduction  of  a  thorough 
public  school  system. 

The  field  is  still  open  to  the  missionary  for  the 
establishment  of  Bible  schools,  theological 
colleges  and  industrial  and  vocational  schools. 
Medical  evangelism  has  always  been  a  strong 
factor  in  the  missionary  work  in  Siam;  but  in 
Indo-China  the  missionary  will  do  well  to  con¬ 
fine  his  efforts  to  the  direct  work  of  publishing 
and  preaching  the  gospel.  The  French  have 
established  hospitals  and  dispensaries  through¬ 
out  most  of  the  land  and  do  not  desire  the 
missionary  to  compete  with  the  government 
in  the  medical  field.  This  simplifies  the  problem 
of  occupying  Indo-China  for  the  Christian 
church. 

EVANGELISM  THE  CHIEF  TASK 

ITH  public  schools  and  hospitals  fur¬ 
nished,  the  mission  forces  will  be  free 
to  preach  and  teach  the  gospel  direct  to  the 
people.  This  is  the  most  joyous  part  of  mis¬ 
sionary  service.  The  fact  of  sin  needs  no  proof. 
But  the  power  of  salvation  is  evidenced  con¬ 
tinually  in  the  freeing  of  victims  from  super¬ 
stitious  belief  in  witchcraft  and  demon-pos¬ 
session. 


Throughout  the  peninsula  literacy  is  high  in 
comparison  with  most  other  Oriental  mission 
fields;  22.8  per  cent,  of  the  people  are 
literate. 

THE  BIBLE  POPULAR 

HE  printed  page  is  a  powerful  agent  in 
this  field,  and  literature  must  be  pre¬ 
pared  more  abundantly  than  in  the  past.  The 
most  popular  form  of  missionary  activity 
among  Siamese  Christians  is  to  purchase  and 
distribute  copies  of  the  Scriptures  among  their 
neighbors,  or  among  their  friends  in  distant 
regions  to  which  they  go  as  missionaries. 

THE  FORWARD  LOOK 

Ethnologically,  linquistically  and  politically 
considered,  the  problem  of  the  Indo-China 
Peninsula  suggests  the  following  forward  policy: 
First,  strengthen  the  existing  missions  in  north¬ 
ern  and  southern  Siam  and  occupy  eastern  Siam 
through  these  missions. 

Second,  establish  three  new  missions:  one 
among  the  Annamese;  another  among  the  Tai 
in  French  territory,  and  the  third  among  the 
Cambodians. 

In  the  tables  following,  an  indication  of  new 
and  needed  missionary  enterprise  is  furnished. 


AREA -SQUARE  MILES 

SIAM  AND  ^00 
FRENCH  INDO-CHINA1— 1 

O  RQO 

UNITED  STATES  I  I 

TOTAL  POPULATION  AND 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP 

27.910,000 

SIAM  AND 
FRENCH  INDO-CHINA,) 


105.255.000 


UNITED  STATES 


si  vm  amd  POPULATION  PER  PROTESTANT  MINISTER(OR  ORDAINED  MISSIONARY) 

FRENCH  mo-am^^-rn 
UNITED  STATES  a 

/nterchurch  Wor/d Movement  of  North  Amer/ca  GO  84 


. .  . . 


1 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  French  Indo-China  and  Siam 


5 


BIBLE  SCHOOLS  THE 
CHIEF  EDUCATIONAL  NEED 

RENCH  INDO-CHINA  comprises  the 
provinces  of  Tonking,  Annam,  French  Laos, 
Cambodia  and  Cochin-China.  The  total  area 
is  256,000  square  miles. 

The  population  numbers  over  18,000,000,  made 
up  chiefly  of  the  Annamese  race,  among  which 
great  host  less  than  a  dozen  Protestant  mis¬ 
sionaries  are  at  work.  Most  of  these  are 
maintained  by  the  Christian  and  Missionary 
Alliance  and  one  by  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society. 

The  prevailing  religions,  Confucianism  and  Bud¬ 
dhism,  are  rapidly  developing  into  free-thinking 
philosophies;  while  Animism  still  holds  the 
ruder  peoples.  Generally  speaking  the  people 
are  gentle  and  peace-loving,  possessed  of  alert 
minds  and  eager  for  education. 

Travel  facilities  throughout  Indo-China  are 
uniformly  good.  Approach  to  the  country 
should  be  made  by  way  of  France  on  French 
steamers.  Anyone  crossing  the  borders  from 
adjacent  countries  is  liable  to  fall  under  the 
suspicion  of  the  French  Government. 

The  chief  missionary  need  is  for  the  publica¬ 
tion  of  the  gospel  message  through  press  and 
pulpit.  Special  qualifications  for  missionaries 
in  this  field  should  include  a  thorough  know¬ 
ledge  of  the  French  language  and  a  deep 
sympathy  with  and  broad  understanding  of 
French  Protestant  culture. 

Bible  schools  only  are  needed.  The  French 
Government  furnishes  excellent  secular  educa¬ 
tion  from  primary  school  to  university.  Nor 
is  any  additional  medical  equipment  required. 
Splendidly-equipped  government  hospitals  are 
already  established  and  doing  beneficent  work. 

Chief  among  the  barriers  preventing  Protestant 
missionary  advance  is  a  treaty  between  the 
French  Government  and  the  Vatican  which 
guarantees  freedom  to  Roman  Catholic  activi¬ 
ties  but  says  nothing  about  the  status  of 
Protestantism. 

“TAI”  MEANS  “FREE” 

RENCH  LAOS  and  Tonking  constitute  a 
region  of  Indo-China  which  is  inhabited 
by  the  Tai  race.  These  people  speak  the  Laos 


language  which  is  spoken  also  in  North  Siam. 
The  size  of  this  area  is  144,400  square  miles 
(Tonking  46,400;  Laos,  98,000);  the  popula¬ 
tion  is  6,000,000;  the  prevailing  religions  are 
Buddhism  and  Animism. 

Early  missionary  activities  were  carried  on  here 
by  the  Presbyterian  North  Siam  Mission  which 
conducted  annual  tours  through  the  country 
between  the  years  1873  and  1903.  These 
activities  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  four 
Christian  centers. 

The  work  has  been  discontinued  by  order  of 
the  French  Government  which,  fearing  the 
effect  of  any  unifying  agency  or  influence 
between  Siam  and  French  Laos,  turned  back 
the  missionaries  from  their  tour  of  Luang- 
Prabang  in  1903.  Since  then  missionaries  have 
been  frequently  warned  not  to  cross  the  Siam- 
French  frontier. 

Protestant  forces  in  this  area  are  represented 
by  the  Swiss  Brethren  who  maintain  four 
missionaries — two  men  and  two  women.  Prob¬ 
lems  of  missionary  enterprise  differ  from  those 
offered  by  the  Annamese  in  that  the  people 
differ  in  racial  characteristics  and  speak  another 
language;  French  hospitals  and  schools  are  less 
in  evidence;  the  country  is  mountainous  and 
methods  of  travel  are  generally  primitive.  But 
politically,  conditions  are  similar  to  those  found 
in  Annam.  There  is  a  very  definite  need  for 
the  literature  circulated  in  North  Siam  to  be 
republished  in  French  Laos  where  its  distribu¬ 
tion  would  greatly  further  evangelization. 

The  physical  and  political  conditions  in  Cam¬ 
bodia  are  similar  to  those  in  Annam.  The  area 
is  45,000  square  miles  and  the  population 
2,000,000.  Here  is  a  most  needy  field  awaiting 
new  missionary  activities. 

SIAM 

American  Christian  agencies  at  present  work¬ 
ing  in  Siam  ard  those  of  Northern  Presbyterian 
Board  and  the  American  Bible  Society. 

The  Presbyterian  work  is  divided  between  the 
North  Siam  and  South  Siam  Missions.  In  the 
latter  there  are  at  present  five  stations  and 
twelve  out-stations,  with  forty-five  mission¬ 
aries  and  a  force  of  ninety-one  native  workers. 
There  are  eleven  organized  churches,  1,326 


6 


French  Indo-China  and  Siam :  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 


communicants,  3,391  adherents.  22  schools  are 
maintained,  with  an  attendance  of  924. 

In  five  hospitals  and  seven  dispensaries  nearly 
24,000  patients  were  treated.  There  is  a  pub¬ 
lishing  house  from  which  books,  printed  both 
in  Siamese  and  in  English,  are  issued. 

In  North  Siam  there  are  six  stations  and  104 
out-stations,  ’  with  fifty-seven  missionaries. 
These  are  assisted  by  seventy-four  men  and 
thirty  women  native  teachers,  also  by  a  native 
force  of  five  ordained  and  177  unordained 
ministers,  with  eighty-seven  Bible  women — a 
total  force  of  373. 

The  missionaries  are  ministering  to  thirty-eight 
churches  (twenty-eight  self-supporting)  having 
6,571  communicants  and  10,628  adherents. 
There  are  fifty-two  schools  with  1,464  pupils; 
five  hospitals  and  eight  dispensaries,  the  pa¬ 
tients  treated  numbering  nearly  47,000.  The 
mission  press  prints  in  both  the  Northern  and 
Southern  Tai  dialects. 

When  comparison  is  made  between  the  growth 
of  church  membership  in  South  Siam  with  that 
in  North  Siam,  one  may  see  the  nature  of  the 
problem  which  confronts  the  missionary  in  the 
apathy  and  kindly  indifference  of  the  people 
of  the  valley  of  the  Menam,  as  compared  with 
the  greater  readiness  on  the  part  of  the  Laos 
people  to  receive  Christianity. 

CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE 

HE  entire  Bible  is  now  published  in  Siamese 
and  almost  all  of  it  is  published  in  the  North 
Tai  or  Laos  dialect,  two-thirds  of  the  total  dis¬ 
tribution  being  in  the  latter  district.  It  is 
very  widely  circulated  by  Agents  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Bible  Society. 

In  1918,  the  press  at  Chieng  Mai  printed 
2,082,173  pages,  and  the  Bangkok  press  16,- 
109,400  pages.  A  number  of  tracts  and  books 
have  been  issued,  but  many  more  are  needed. 
Two  religious  news  magazines  are  published  by 
the  Presbyterian  Mission,  one  in  the  Southern 
Tai  and  one  in  the  Northern  Tai  language. 

THE  FUTURE  TASK 

THE  small  missionary  force  in  Siam,  facing 
difficulties  in  distances,  masses  of  people, 
and  a  deadly  climate,  constitutes  a  tremendous 


handicap.  A  larger  number  of  workers  should 
be  sent  to  the  field,  the  work  pushed  further 
south  in  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and  the  populous 
districts  between  the  stations  throughout  South¬ 
ern  Siam  reached.  One-half  the  population 
of  the  country  lives  east  of  the  Menam  River 
and  are  practically  untouched  by  missionary 
effort. 

Since  the  World  War  more  interest  than  ever 
is  taken  in  American  ideals,  and  there  is  a 
present  desire  for  America’s  friendship  and 
influence.  The  door  is  open! 

Homely  virtues  appear  to  be  Siam’s  desperate 
need — a  realization  of  the  value  of  industry, 
perseverance,  honor,  loyalty,  spiritual  growth 
without  material  gain.  Ignorance,  especially 
among  the  women,  imposes  its  thraldom.  Idle¬ 
ness,  gambling,  intemperance  are  the  natural 
consequences,  and  undermine  the  habits  of  the 
people.  The  moral  standards  of  family  life 
need  raising,  and  the  people  should  be  aroused 
to  look  after  their  own  industries  and  not  leave 
their  work  to  Chinese  and  other  more  energetic 
peoples.  Unless  these  really  are  secured,  Siam 
must  disappear  as  an  independent  power.  The 
entire  land  must  be  awakened  to  deeper  spirit¬ 
ual  life,  truth,  sincerity,  fervor.  The  country 
needs  not  a  rationalistic  philosophy  but  a 
spiritual  awakening;  not  Buddhism,  with  its 
corollary  of  religious  indifference,  too  apparent 
on  all  sides,  but  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

UNOCCUPIED  SIAM 

HE  eastern  half  of  the  country  has  an 
area  of  92,000  square  miles,  almost  equal¬ 
ing  that  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania;  the 
population  is  4,303,000  (not  quite  one-fourth 
that  of  these  same  states  and  one-half  the 
whole  population  of  Siam).  Yet  in  this  entire 
area  there  is  not  one  Christian  missionary  at 
work! 

At  least  four  new  stations  require  to  be  opened, 
with  leaders  chosen  from  the  ten  established 
Siamese  stations.  Yet  while  this  number  is 
totally  inadequate  to  meet  the  needs  of  4,303,000 
people,  the  present  depleted  mission  force  in 
North  and  South  Siam  warrants  only  a  moder¬ 
ate  advance  during  the  next  five  years. 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  French  Indo- China  and  Siam 


7 


A  greatly  increased  supply  of  Christian  litera¬ 
ture  is  needed  for  eastern  Siam.  The  two 
existing  mission  presses,  in  Bangkok  and  Chieng 
Mai,  need  to  be  thoroughly  organized  and 
equipped.  More  than  22  per  cent,  of  the 
Siamese  are  literate. 

The  Buddhist  temple  has  ever  been  the  center 
of  letters  and  learning,  but  eventually  the  tem¬ 
ple  schools  will  give  place  to  the  newer  govern¬ 
ment  schools. 


During  the  next  five  years  it  might  be  wise  not 
to  establish  mission  schools  but  to  await  the 
results  of  the  government  educational  program. 
Schools  devoted  to  Bible  teaching,  however, 
should  be  founded.  The  Siamese  Government 
is  emphasizing  and  carrying  on  public  school 
education.  Missionary  doctors,  dispensaries 
and  hospitals  are  urgently  needed.  The  new 
workman  best  be  carried  on  in  North  and  South 
Siam  by  the  Northern  Presbyterian  Missions. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/worldsurveyconfe00inte_7 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  Malaysia 


9 


Malaysia 

THE  island  world  of  Malaysia  equals  in  total  expanse  the  area  of  the  United 
States.  It  is  the  largest  and  the  most  fertile  undeveloped  Asiatic  territory, 
containing  873,000  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  50,497,042.  The  sur¬ 
plus  population  of  both  China  and  British  India  is  coming  to  Malaysia  at  the  rate  of 
250,000  Chinese  and  60,000  Indians  every  year.  More  than  a  million  Chinese  are 
now  permanently  domiciled  there.  They  are  the  most  industrious  and  progressive 
element  in  the  population. 


Malaysia’s  Needs 

A  comprehensive  system  of  Christian  education  to  counteract  the 
influence  of  the  religious  and  superstitious  cults  of  Asia. 

A  native  Christian  ministry  trained  for  evangelistic  service. 

An  adequate  staff  of  medical  missionaries  and  nurses. 

A  system  of  extensive  Christian  colportage  work. 

A  Strategic  Base 

The  Chinese  are  doubtless  destined  to  become  the  dominant  race 
in  Malaysia.  Their  conversion  is  necessary  to  the  triumph  of 
Christianity  in  the  archipelago. 


What  the  Phoenicians  were  to  the  Mediterranean  world,  in  ancient  times,  the  Chinese 
are  to  Malaysia  today.  They  are  the  commercial  masters  of  the  archipelago.  Many 
of  them  are  rich  and  influential.  They  are  all  from  South  China,  speak  eight  different 
languages  and  are  widely  scattered  over  this  vast  field.  In  their  eagerness  for  educa¬ 
tion  and  enlightenment  they  are  heartily  supporting  the  Christian  educational 
enterprises  of  the  missionaries.  Thus  the  Chinese  in  Malaysia  form  our  strategic 
base;  their  evangelization  is  our  greatest  concern. 

Nearly  all  the  indigenous  races  of  Malaysia,  the  Malays,  Javanese,  Sundanese  and 
other  brown  races,  speaking  more  than  150  different  languages,  have  been  converted 
to  Mohammedanism  within  the  last  500  years.  There  are  about  45,000,000  followers 
of  the  prophet;  and  of  all  Moslems  these  are  among  the  easiest  to  reach  with  the 
gospel.  To  win  these  multitudes  and  to  lead  them  to  Christ  is  the  stupendous  task 
which  confronts  the  Christian  church  in  Malaysia. 


10  Malaysia :  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 

The  vast  majority  of  the  Mohammedans  live  on  the  island  of  Java  which,  with  a 
population  density  of  about  700  to  the  square  mile,  supports  35,000,000  people.  The 
Java  Mohammedans,  however,  are  not  so  aggressive  as  those  of  Sumatra  and  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  who  speak  the  Malay  language.  Consequently,  Malay  has  be¬ 
come  the  language  of  Mohammedan  propaganda,  and  the  city  of  Singapore  is  the 
center  of  Mohammedan  influence.  The  Arabic  alphabet  is  used  generally  through¬ 
out  the  archipelago  in  all  written  and  printed  communications. 

There  are  about  2,000,000  members  of  various  tribes  in  the  interior  of  Borneo,  Sumatra 
and  other  islands,  who  are  still  pagan.  On  the  island  of  Bali  there  are  some  Hindus. 
To  save  these  pagans  and  Hindus  from  Islam  they  must  be  reached  at  once. 

This  is  the  opportune  time  to  reach  the  Mohammedans.  They  have  been  profoundly 
influenced  by  the  downfall  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  and  are  realizing  the  fact  that 
they  are  utterly  unable  to  compete  with  the  more  enterprising  Chinese.  Leading 
Mohammedans  appreciate  the  absolute  necessity  for  a  Western  education  if  their 
children  are  to  meet  the  Chinese  on  equal  terms. 

Meanwhile,  the  Chinese  are  keenly  alive  to  the  benefits  of  Western  civilization. 
Since  the  revolution  in  China  a  great  change  has  come  over  the  entire  Chinese  popula¬ 
tion  of  Malaysia.  The  door  is  wide  open  here  to  the  Christian  missionary. 


MALAYSIA 


AREA -SQUARE  MILES 

875,574 


UNITED  STATES  [ 


2.975,890 


5(48^305 

MALAYSIA 

10^2554)00 

UNITED  STATES? 


TOTAL  POPULATION  AND 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP 


.  199,180 

MALAYSIA  wzm 


POPULATION  PER  PROTESTANT  MINISTERfOR  ORDAINED  MISSIONARY) 

ion  V  7 


G42 


UNITED  STATES  i 

/ntercAureh  Wor/d Afo  Yemeni  of  North  Amer/ca 


GO.  3/ 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  Malaysia 


11 


( Comparison  Map) 


This  map  is  one  of  a  series  all  drawn  to  the  same  scale  for  purposes  of  comparison  as  to  area  and 
population.  The  map  of  Pennsylvania  serves  as  a  unit  of  comparison  and  appears  same  size  on  each 
map  of  the  series. 


12 


Malaysia:  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 


BEGINNINGS 

ISSIONARIES  have  just  begun  to  reach 
the  pagan,  animistic  Dayaks  of  the 
interior  of  British  and  Dutch  Borneo;  but  the 
subtle  influence  of  the  Mohammedan  Malays 
from  the  coast  is  always  active.  In  both  areas 
the  Christian  governments  have  done  much  to 
stamp  out  the  practise  of  “head-hunting.’’ 
The  Dayaks  are  beginning  to  take  advantage  of 
the  opportunities  which  these  governments  are 
giving  them  for  the  education  of  their  children. 
The  question  whether  these  schools  shall  be 
taught  by  Christian  teachers  or  by  Mohamme¬ 
dans  will  be  decided  in  favor  of  Christianity, 
provided  the  necessary  teachers  are  trained  and 
the  funds  supplied  for  the  purpose. 

The  Christian  church  must  provide  the  leader¬ 
ship  which  can  bring  to  these  peoples  of  Malay¬ 
sia — Moslems,  Chinese  and  the  wild  tribes  of 
the  interior — those  moral  and  spiritual  forces 
which  will  enable  them  to  realize  that  social  and 
economic  progress  for  which  they  are  so  eagerly 
seeking. 

AGENCIES  AT  WORK 

ODAY,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists  are  the 
only  American  agencies  at  work  in  Malaysia. 

The  American  Methodists  are  dealing  with  the 
Chinese  problem  through  the  agency  of  a  great 
system  of  schools,  nearly  all  of  which  are  in  the 
British  area.  Instruction  is  given  entirely 
through  the  medium  of  the  English  language. 
There  are  approximately  10,000  children  in 
these  schools,  and  about  10,000  more  are  re¬ 
ceiving  an  English  education  in  the  schools 
operated  by  the  British  Government  and  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  graduates  of 
these  English  schools  are  already  becoming  the 
leaders  of  their  people,  not  only  in  the  British 
area  but  even  to  some  extent  in  the  Dutch  area. 
The  Dutch  Government  has  found  it  necessary 
to  establish  “Dutch-Chinese  Schools,”  in  which 
the  Chinese  children  in  the  Dutch  East  Indies 
are  now  beginning  to  receive  a  Western  educa¬ 
tion  through  the  medium  of  the  Dutch  lan¬ 
guage. 

The  Methodist  boys’  schools  in  the  British 
area  are  entirely  self-supporting.  Grants  from 


government,  together  with  school  fees,  pay  the 
salaries  and  traveling  expenses  of  missionary 
teachers,  so  that  these  schools  are  not  a  burden 
upon  the  mission  boards. 

They  are  a  great  force  for  the  uplift  and  en¬ 
lightenment  of  the  entire  community,  princi¬ 
pally  of  the  Chinese,  the  great  majority  of  the 
pupils  being  of  that  race.  Even  the  girls’ 
schools  are  now  in  many  cases  almost  entirely 
self-supporting.  All  of  these  schools  are  the 
most  effective  means  of  gaining  access  to  the 
families  of  the  children. 

The  government  demands  a  high  grade  of  effi¬ 
ciency  in  schools  which  receive  a  government 
grant,  so  that  it  becomes  absolutely  essential 
that  the  teaching  staff  of  the  schools  be  relieved 
from  the  responsibility  of  the  other  work,  which 
has  hitherto  rested  upon  them.  There  is  im¬ 
mediate  need  for  both  American  and  Chinese 
workers  to  devote  their  full  time  and  strength 
to  evangelistic  work  among  the  constituencies 
of  these  schools.  The  teachers  can  assist  in 
their  spare  time. 

The  Chinese  are  also  demanding  better  facilities 
for  the  higher  education  of  graduates  of  the 
mission  and  government  high  schools,  who  now 
have  to  go  to  China  or  to  America  for  a  college 
education.  A  university  at  Singapore  is 
planned,  and  large  sums  have  been  contributed 
by  the  Chinese  themselves.  A  Christian  col¬ 
lege  is  an  essential  part  of  the  present  system 
of  mission  schools.  Industrial  education  also 
needs  to  be  stressed,  and  engineering  and  agri¬ 
cultural  departments  are  parts  of  the  Singapore 
college  scheme. 

MEDICAL  MISSIONS 

EDICAL  work  is  the  forerunner  of  the 
evangelization  of  the  Moslem  millions 
in  Malaysia.  This  department  of  missionary 
effort  will  be  reinforced  by  the  Dutch  Govern¬ 
ment.  The  Dutch  are  prepared  to  pay  three- 
fourths  of  the  cost  of  building  and  equipping 
mission  hospitals,  if  the  mission  will  provide 
the  remaining  fourth  of  the  cost,  and  can  supply 
the  trained  doctors  and  nurses. 

In  response  to  the  appeal  for  medical  work  the 
Methodist  board  is  planning  to  erect  sixteen 
new  hospitals  in  the  next  five  years  in  the 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  Malaysia 


Dutch  area.  These  hospitals  will  be  on  the 
islands  of  Java,  Sumatra  and  Borneo,  the  terri¬ 
tory  already  partially  occupied  by  the  Metho¬ 
dist  Board.  The  necessary  doctors  and  nurses 
to  staff  these  hospitals  are  urgently  needed. 

In  the  British  area  three  hospitals  are  planned. 
The  Chinese  now  settled  in  such  large  numbers 
near  Sitiawan  on  the  Malay  Peninsula  are 
entirely  without  medical  aid  and  will  them¬ 
selves  provide  the  funds.  The  other  two  hospi¬ 
tals  are  planned  to  reach  the  Mohammedans  of 
the  Malay  Peninsula,  who  number  about 
1,500,000. 


13 


CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE 

THE  city  of  Singapore  is  admirably  located 
as  a  center  for  the  wide  dissemination  of 
Christian  literature  throughout  Malaysia.  Here 
there  is  already  established  one  of  the  most 
successful  mission  presses  in  the  Orient.  The 
Methodist  Publishing  House  is  splendidly 
equipped  for  the  production  of  all  kinds  of 
literature.  It  is  urgently  in  need  of  more 
adequate  resources  for  translation  and  editorial 
work,  and  for  organizing  a  series  of  distributing 
centers  for  disseminating  literature  by  means  of 
colporteurs. 


MALAYS  IA 

ANNUAL  IMMIGRATION 

FROM  CHINA  250.000 
FROM  INDIA  60.000 

0 _ 100  200  300  &0Q  300 

STATUTE  MILES 

lr,*erchu'ch  W. 'or/d  Movement  of  North  America _ 


14 


Malaysia :  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 


Literature  for  the  immigrant  Chinese  and 
Indians  can,  to  a  great  extent,  be  purchased  in 
China  and  India;  but  periodical  literature, 
books  and  tracts  with  local  coloring,  will  also  be 
needed.  Literature  for  Malays,  Javanese  and 
other  indigenous  races  must  all  be  produced  on 
the  field.  A  considerable  editorial  staff  is 
needed  in  Singapore  and  also  in  Java. 

A  central  distributing  agency  in  Singapore  will 
be  able  to  supply  local  agencies  all  over  the 
archipelago.  It  will  control  the  work  of  the 
colporters  in  the  various  countries.  For  lack  of 
an  adequate  distributing  organization  there  has 
been  no  effective  literature  propaganda  in 
Malaysia;  and  to  provide  one  is  imperative. 

A  NATIVE  MINISTRY 

HE  most  outstanding  need  in  Malaysia 
today  is  a  trained  native  ministry.  The 
Methodist  Board  has  training  schools  at  Singa¬ 
pore  and  in  Java,  but  the  supply  of  pastors  is 
utterly  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  churches. 
It  will  be  impossible  to  open  any  considerable 
number  of  new  stations  until  a  sufficient  number 
of  native  evangelists  and  other  workers  are 
trained  for  this  purpose.  A  training  school 
cannot  be  adequately  supervised  and  taught  by 
a  missionary  who  is  also  busy  with  other  work. 

The  full  time  of  a  missionary,  better  equipment 


and  qualified  native  teachers,  must  be  given  to 
the  training  schools. 

The  church  buildings  in  Malaysia  compare  very 
unfavorably  with  the  fine  school  properties 
which  have  been  erected  in  a  great  number  of 
places  from  local  resources.  It  is  difficult  to 
induce  boys  who  study  during  the  week  in  fine 
large  classrooms  to  attend  the  Sunday  services 
in  the  hot  and  uncomfortable  buildings  which 
are  now  in  use  as  churches.  To  remedy  this 
unfortunate  situation  it  is  planned  to  erect 
eighteen  churches  in  the  British  area  and  ten  in 
the  Netherlands  Indies,  besides  paying  off  the 
debts  on  four  others. 

NEW  WORK 

MALAYSIA  contains  many  areas  which  are 
entirely  unoccupied.  Among  these  are 
the  following: 

The  East  Coast  of  the  Malay  Peninsula. 
South  Sumatra  and  adjacent  islands. 

The  Province  of  Bantam  in  Java. 

The  valley  of  the  Koetei  River  in  East 
Borneo. 

In  South  Celebes  among  the  Mohammedans. 
In  Bali  and  Lombok  among  the  Hindus. 

There  are  other  unoccupied  areas  which  should 
be  opened  but  provision  ought  first  to  be  made 
for  those  listed  above. 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  Oceania 


15 


Oceania 

(Not  Including  Hawaii) 

A  Far-flung  Archipelago  Awaiting  the  Gospel 

OCEANIA,  the  great  archipelago  of  the  Pacific,  consists  of  three  main 
divisions:  Polynesia,  Micronesia  and  Melanesia.  These  may  be  divided 
into  thirty  smaller  groups,  containing  in  all  about  1,500  islands. 

The  total  area  is  approximately  240,000  square  miles;  the  population  is  estimated 
at  1,684,700. 

Oceania  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  equator,  but  the  majority  of  its  islands  are  in  the 
south  torrid  zone  and  until  recently  constituted  the  most  isolated  part  of  the 
inhabited  globe.  Yet,  remote  as  this  region  is,  it  did  not  escape  the  far-reaching 
influences  of  the  recent  great  conflict. 

The  native  islanders  are  all  of  the  Malayan  race. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  islands  which  are  under  American,  French  and  Japanese 
rule,  this  far-flung  archipelago  is  under  the  sovereignty  of  Great  Britain.  Prior  to 
the  World  War  some  of  the  islands  were  under  German  jurisdiction.  These  are  now 
being  administered  by  the  British  and  Japanese  governments  and  may  ultimately 
pass  under  the  control  of  Australia  or  New  Zealand. 

Mission  work  was  begun  in  1521  by  Magellan,  who  converted  by  compulsion,  and  for 
four  centuries  the  field  was  occupied  by  various  Roman  Catholic  societies  but  with 
indifferent  success. 

Protestant  work  was  commenced  by  the  London  Missionary  Society  at  Tahiti  in  the 
Society  Islands  in  1797,  and  during  the  nineteenth  century  these  islands  were  nominally 
and  to  a  large  extent  genuinely  Christianized  by  various  British  missionary  organ¬ 
izations. 

Since  1797  about  twenty  other  Protestant  societies  have  entered  the  field — three 
American,  ten  British,  the  rest  European.  Today  the  native  Protestant  communi¬ 
cants  number  about  90,000,  and  non-communicants  under  Christian  influences  about 
105,000.  Five  Roman  Catholic  societies  are  now  at  work,  having  approximately 
130,000  communicants;  31,000  are  under  instruction  in  elementary  schools  and  about 
five  hundred  in  religious  institutions.  These  societies  also  maintain  three  hospitals 
and  ninety-nine  dispensaries. 


16 


Oceania :  SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA 


AMERICAN  WORK 

THE  only  American  society  in  Oceania 
which  has  undertaken  work  on  a  large 
scale  is  the  American  Board  (Congregational). 
But  for  twenty  years  it  has  been  gradually  with¬ 
drawing  from  the  field,  until  now  it  maintains 
but  three  women  missionaries  in  Micronesia, 
noe  doing  general  work  in  the  Marshall  group 
and  two  in  a  girls’  school  at  Kusaie,  Caroline 
Islands,  which  work  will  be  dropped  when  they 
retire.  At  Guam,  the  United  States’  possession 
in  the  Ladrone  Islands,  one  man  and  his  wife 
are  stationed. 

EVANGELISM  THE 
PRIMARY  NEED 

FOR  many  years  educational  work  was  al¬ 
most  entirely  under  missionary  control.  In 
recent  times  the  British,  French  and  American 
governments  have  taken  up  this  matter  in  the 
islands  they  respectively  control.  Hitherto, 
higher  education  has  been  practically  negli¬ 
gible.  But  the  aforementioned  governments 
may  be  reasonably  expected  to  develop  the 
educational  systems  they  have  already  or¬ 
ganized.  Thus  the  missionary  problem  will 
henceforward  be  largely  an  evangelistic  one. 
But  until  the  governmental  systems  are  more 
fully  developed  missionary  education  should  go 
on.  At  present  there  are  about  60,000  pupils 
under  instruction  in  2,350  missionary  schools, 
of  which  only  a  few  go  above  the  grammar 
grades.  Throughout  Oceania  there  is  a  native 
teaching  staff  of  about  4,500  but  the  foreign 
staff  is  entirely  inadequate. 

DOCTORS  AND  HOSPITALS 
NEEDED 

MEDICAL  work  has  not  been  attempted 
in  any  large  degree  by  missionary 
agencies.  At  present  the  Protestant  organiza¬ 
tions  are  conducting  sixteen  hospitals  and 
twenty-eight  dispensaries,  with  an  average 
medical  treatment  of  about  ten  thousand  cases 
per  year.  Although  government  medical  de¬ 
partments  have  been  established  in  many  places 
the  witch-doctor  is  everywhere  in  evidence  and 
the  lack  of  scientific  medical  aid  is  felt  through¬ 
out  the  entire  archipelago. 


RACIAL  PROBLEMS 

HE  immigration  problem  may  be  solved 
by  a  wise  shepherding  of  the  present  native 
church.  These  islanders  are  of  such  an  unstable 
ethnic  character  that,  if  left  to  the  impact  of 
Oriental  immigration,  they  will  lose  their  racial 
integrity.  If  this  influx  continues  the  Pacific 
Islands  will  soon  be  overrun  by  peoples  from 
the  Far  East,  and  Christian  missions  will  face 
problems  even  more  complex  than  heretofore. 
The  forces  of  evil  have  not  been  inactive  in 
Oceania.  Ever  since  its  discovery  by  the  white 
man,  traders  and  adventurers  have  introduced 
some  of  the  worst  vices  of  the  Occidental  world. 

CIVILIZATION’S  PERILS 

NE  of  the  chief  duties  of  Christianity  is 
to  combat  the  evils  of  its  own  civilization. 
Work  among  the  white  men  and  half-breeds 
found  in  the  islands  should  be  speedily  under¬ 
taken.  There  are  very  few  churches  for  this 
class,  although  in  Fiji  alone  the  Europeans 
number  3,500. 

Another  element  of  difficulty  presenting  itself 
in  Oceania  is  the  presence  of  large  numbers  of 
East  Indian  coolies  who,  on  account  of  the  in¬ 
dolence  of  the  island  natives,  have  been  im¬ 
ported  for  labor  purposes.  At  the  end  of  1917 
there  were  61,000  Indians  in  Fiji,  as  against 
91,000  natives.  The  majority  of  the  Indians 
are  Hindus,  though  there  is  also  a  considerable 
Mohammedan  element  among  them.  Thus 
far  missionary  work  among  them  has  not  been 
very  effective.  There  is  also  a  sprinkling  of 
Chinese,  mostly  traders,  who  are  increasingly 
superseding  their  white  competitors.  As  to 
the  natives  themselves,  while  they  are  less  cruel, 
they  are  also  less  truthful,  less  industrious,  less 
cleanly  than  formerly.  Latterly  where  Chris¬ 
tianity  has  been  accepted  it  has  become  cor¬ 
rupted  with  the  old  practices  of  magic  and  an¬ 
cestor-worship.  Saint-worship  is  also  being 
established  in  some  of  the  islands. 

FIJI— A  TYPICAL  SUCCESS 

ET  good,  effective  work  can  be  done  in 
Oceania.  The  Tonga  Island  Mission 
illustrates  a  typical  success.  Sixty  years  ago, 
the  whole  population  accepted  Christianity. 
A  foundation  of  a  very  permanent  nature  has 


SOUTHEASTERN  ASIA:  Oceania 


17 


been  laid  in  Fiji,  with  a  native  membership  of 
3,300. 

IT  HAS— AND  WILL- 
COST  MUCH 

HE  spiritual  victories  gained  in  the  Pacific 
have  cost  a  heavy  price.  They  are  sealed 
with  the  blood  of  missionary  martyrs:  John 
Williams,  Bishop  Patteson  and  James  Chalmers 
laid  down  their  lives  in  Oceania.  Indeed  the 
whole  story  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  is  a  great 
romance  of  missionary  history.  The  carrying 
forward  of  the  work  begun  by  these  heroes 
calls  for  devotion  and  sacrifice.  There  are  per¬ 
haps  a  million  savages  in  New  Caledonia, 
Papua,  New  Hebrides,  Santa  Cruz,  the  Solo¬ 


mon  and  Bismarck  Islands  yet  untouched  by 
the  gospel.  An  entirely  new  and  trained  mis¬ 
sionary  force  is  necessary  for  these  fields  and 
the  urgency  is  immediate. 

READJUSTMENTS 

AUSTRALIA  and  New  Zealand,  the  great 
^  progressive  neighbors  of  the  Oceanic 
Islands,  would  appear  to  be  the  logical  heirs  to 
the  fulfilment  of  this  great  task. 

The  larger  mission  boards  of  the  United  States 
and  England  should  assume  responsibility  for 
the  evangelization  of  the  Philippines,  China, 
India  and  Malaysia,  whose  influence  for  good 
or  ill  interacts  closely  upon  this  far-flung 
archipelago. 


■  • 


. 


■ 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

America  offers  the  Philippines  to  the  world  as  the  first  practical  appli¬ 
cation  of  democratic  self-government  to  the  peoples  of  the  Orient. 

UNDER  American  tutelage  3,141  Philippine  islands,  embracing  115,000  square 
miles  and  a  population  of  10,000,000,  have  become  the  great  strategic  base 
for  Christian  democracy  in  the  Pacific.  Manila  is  becoming  the  focal  point 
between  America  and  the  East.  Since  that  historic  day  in  May,  1898,  when  Admiral 
Dewey  raised  the  American  flag,  the  Philippines  have  grown  to  political  stature. 

Here  is  the  missionary  problem  in  the  Islands: 

Nine  million  Filipinos,  mostly  of  Malay  stock,  preparing  for  self-government. 

A  decadent  Mohammedanism  professed  by  350,000  Moros. 

Wild  tribes  numbering  750,000  people:  in  the  highlands  of  Luzon  and  Mindanao, 
independent,  animistic  peoples;  and  in  West  Luzon  and  Palawan,  nomadic,  poly¬ 
gamous  Negritos  or  true  aborigines,  who  resist  all  efforts  toward  modern  civilization. 

Sixty-eight  different  languages  and  dialects  which  make  for  both  tribal  divisions  and 
social  disunion. 

The  9,000,000  civilized  Filipinos,  or  Filipino  Intellectuales,  must  be  won  to  our  support. 

In  this  complex  field  Islam  gave  way  to  a  decadent  Rome  when  Spain  brought  Chris¬ 
tianity  to  the  Philippines.  But  the  idolatrous  form  of  Christianity  professed  by  the 
Filipinos  is  now  giving  way  to  a  virile  and  democratic  Christianity. 

Modern  civilization  is  on  trial  in  the  Orient.  Western  institutions  are  being  rapidly 
adopted.  Shall  we  allow  the  Orient  to  adopt  the  letter  and  not  the  spirit  of  our 
institutions  ?  Historians  of  the  future  must  not  record  that  America  nurtured  ten 
million  of  her  wards  into  full  citizenship  and  gave  them  responsible  government  in  the 
most  strategic  position  of  the  great  Pacific,  and  yet  left  them  in  normal  and  spiritual 
darkness.  Even  though  they  have  proved  apt  pupils  of  our  institutions,  let  us  not 
forget  that  “the  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  1^6.^  Let  the  Philippines  be  our 
Pacific  contribution  to  posterity! 


20  Democratic  Self-government  in  the  Orient :  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


( Comparison  Map) 


This  map  is  one  of  a  series  all  drawn  to  the  same  scale  for  purposes  of  comparison  as  to  area  and 
population.  The  map  of  Pennsylvania  serves  as  a  unit  of  comparison  and  appears  same  size  on  each 
map  of  the  series. 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS:  Occident  vs.  Orient 


21 


WORK  DOES  NOT  OVERLAP 

00N  after  the  American  forces  occupied 
the  Islands,  the  call  was  great  for  mission¬ 
aries  who  would  preach  to  and  teach  natives 
who  were  then  keen  for  the  things  the  Ameri¬ 
cans  brought.  About  that  time  the  Protestant 
churches  divided  the  Islands,  each  denomina¬ 
tion  assuming  responsibility  for  a  certain 
district.  This  cooperative  plan  has  worked 
well. 

EDUCATION 

HE  United  States  has  introduced  a 
splendid  educational  system,  but  there 
is  a  total  lack  of  religious  instruction  in  the 
public  schools.  In  the  university  and  profes¬ 
sional  schools  a  strong  atheistic  tendency  is 
evident.  Missionaries  are  now  counteracting 
this  movement  by  the  close  supervision  of  the 
dormitory  system  prevailing  in  the  high  school 
centers  and  in  Manila. 

The  Baptists  have  a  strong  industrial  school  at 
Jaro,  Iloilo,  in  which  three  hundred  boys  are 
enrolled  and  trained,  and  where  a  farm  of  sixty 
acres  for  agricultural  training  purposes  supple¬ 
ments  the  theoretical  instruction. 

On  the  Island  of  Panay,  the  Baptists  have 
organized  a  remarkable  school  for  orphans  at 
Capiz.  This  school  is  also  a  home  for  the 
children,  as  well  as  for  others  who  are  depen¬ 
dent  though  not  entirely  orphaned.  No  school 
in  the  Islands  has  a  finer  standing. 

This  same  denomination  also  maintains  dormi¬ 
tories  for  high  school  students  at  Iloilo,  Capiz 
and  Bacolod;  and  has  organized  an  excellent 
training  school  which  prepares  women  for  Bible 
teachers. 

Northern  Presbyterians,  at  Silliman  Institute, 
offer  an  all-round  education  not  only  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  Negros  but  also  to  the  rest  of  the  archi¬ 
pelago.  Silliman  Institute  boasts  an  en¬ 
rolment  of  eight  hundred,  and  about  5,000 
former  students  are  spreading  its  influence. 
Many  Filipino  leaders  have  gone  from  Silliman 
into  various  walks  of  public  life.  Ellinwood 
School  for  girls  at  Manila  is  doing  for  girls 
what  Silliman  does  for  boys.  In  addition  to 
the  School,  Ellinwood  Dormitory  for  girls  and 


Ellinwood  Dormitory  for  boys  provide  homes, 
with  good  Christian  atmosphere  for  the  students 
attending  the  public  high  schools.  The  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church  also  maintains  dormitories 
for  boys  and  for  girls  at  Cebu  Station. 

At  Manila  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has 
a  boys’  dormitory,  the  Harris  Memorial  Dea¬ 
coness  Training  School  and  the  Hugh  Wilson 
Hall  for  Women.  In  Lingayen  the  Women’s 
Bible  Training  School  is  turning  out  enthusias¬ 
tic  women  every  session  who  are  doing  a  great 
deal  toward  increasing  the  popularity  of  the 
Protestant  faith. 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  is  located  at 
Manila  also.  The  Presbyterians,  Baptists, 
Christians  and  United  Brethren  cooperate  with 
the  Methodists  in  maintaining  this  institution 
which  trains  sixty  men  each  year  for  the  min¬ 
istry. 

The  outstanding  educational  need  is  a  great 
union  Christian  college  in  Manila,  with  up-to- 
date  buildings,  a  competent  staff*  and  an  ade¬ 
quate  dormitory  system.  Such  an  educational 
center,  combined  with  the  splendid  medical  and 
hospital  work  of  the  missions,  would  form  the 
citadel  of  Christianity  in  the  Islands. 

EVANGELISM 

AFTER  less  than  two  decades  of  mission- 
l  ary  effort  there  are  about  125,000 
members  of  evangelical  churches  and  500,000 
others  who  may  be  termed  Christian  adherents. 
But  millions  more  have  not  heard  the  gospel 
proclaimed.  Hundreds  of  towns  and  villages 
have  never  been  visited  by  either  a  missionary 
or  a  Filipino  preacher.  Meanwhile  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  is  increasingly  active  among 
the  young  people. 

The  Protestant  missionaries  have  had  many  of 
the  experiences  that  came  to  St.  Paul.  “Jour- 
neyings  often,  in  perils  of  rivers,  in  perils  of 
robbers,  in  perils  from  my  own  countrymen,  in 
perils  by  the  gentiles,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in 
perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in 
perils  among  false  brethren;  in  labor  and 
travail,  in  watchings  often,  in  cold  and  naked¬ 
ness.  Besides  those  things  that  are  without, 
that  which  presseth  upon  me  daily,  anxiety 
for  all  the  churches.” 


22  Eighteen  Years  of  Protestant  Evangelism  :  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


50,000  TO  ONE  MISSIONARY! 

HERE  are  about  200  missionaries,  in¬ 
cluding  wives,  and  1,860  native  work¬ 
ers,  conscientiously  but  inadequately  covering 
the  field.  The  general  average  has  been  one 
evangelistic  missionary  for  every  50,000  people. 

In  1911  the  Philippine  Islands  Sunday  School 
Union  was  formed  and  now  has  more  than 
40,000  pupils  enrolled.  A  convention  was  held 
in  Manila  in  1917  with  more  than  five  thou¬ 
sand  in  attendance. 

Now  is  the  crucial  time  to  enlist  the  rising 
generation. 

STEMMING  THE  TIDE 

O  THE  Baptists  were  given  islands  with  a 
population  of  over  one  million — Negros, 
Occidental,  Samar  and  part  of  Panay.  This 
territory  embraces  some  10,000  square  miles, 
with  an  average  population  per  square  mile 
ranging  from  50  on  Samar  to  161  on  Panay. 
The  islands  are  hilly  and  difficult  for  travel, 
thus  making  the  work  of  the  missionary  es¬ 
pecially  arduous.  The  dialects  vary  greatly  on 
each  island,  again  adding  to  the  task  set  before 
this  body  of  consecrated  men  and  women. 

But  the  two  dozen  Baptist  missionaries  have 
built  up  seventy-one  congregations  with  about 


4,500  members.  In  addition  some  175  Filipinos 
have  been  added  to  the  staff. 

The  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
is  confined  to  the  Island  of  Luzon,  from  Manila 
north.  This  is  divided  into  seven  districts 
which  have  in  active  work  over  126  preachers 
and  missionaries,  with  over  200  churches  and 
chapels  and  more  than  1,200  preaching  places. 

In  eighteen  years  the  churches  have  acquired  a 
baptised  membership  of  nearly  50,000. 

The  District  of  Manila  is  the  largest  field  and 
best  organized  of  the  Methodist  work.  There 
are  important  centers  for  evangelistic  work  in 
Vigan  and  Tuguegarao  in  the  north,  Dagupan 
and  Lingayen  in  the  district  of  Pangadinan, 
the  wealthy  rice  region  of  Luzon;  and  in  the 
Central  District,  there  are  flourishing  churches 
at  Malolos,  San  Isidro  and  Cabanatan. 

The  Disciples  of  Christ  maintain  considerable 
evangelistic  work  about  Manila  and  also  around 
Vigan  in  the  north  of  the  Island  of  Luzon. 

Northern  Presbyterians  minister  to  that  part 
of  the  archipelago  lying  south  of  Manila  and 
North  of  Mindanao.  They  maintain  eleven 
stations  with  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
outstations.  The  half-hundred  missionaries 
care  for  nearly  20,000  members,  scattered  over 


AREA  -  SQUARE  MILES 

115.026 

PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS  D 


2.973,890 


UNITED  STATESL 


TOTAL  POPULATION  AND 
PROTESTANT  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


125,000 


105.253,000 


UNITED  STATES  2103&000 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 
UNITED  STATES  a  " 

/nterchurch  Wor/d Movement  of  North  Amer/ca 


POPULATION  PER  PROTESTANT  MINISTER^  ORDAINED  MISSIONARY) 


G.m/ 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS :  Our  Polyglot  Field 


23 


mountains  and  in  jungles.  Taken  all  in  all,  no 
parish  in  the  world  is  equal  to  the  Philippines. 

The  center  of  the  work  of  this  church  is  Iloilo, 
where  there  are  nineteen  congregations. 

LITERATURE  FOR  SIXTY- 
EIGHT  DIALECTS 

VANGELICAL  Christianity  must  reach 
this  growing  field  if  it  is  to  become  the 
American  exemplar  of  democracy  in  the  Orient. 
Here  a  people  of  rapidly  increasing  literacy 
has  become  politically  self-conscious  and  is 
probably  on  the  verge  of  self-determination. 
Literature  is  an  important  medium.  The 
United  States  schools  are  making  English  a 
lingua  franca,  and  thus  provide  a  valuable 
channel  for  reaching  the  9,000,000  intellectuales . 

In  addition, Christian  literature  and  propaganda 
material  in  the  sixty-eight  different  languages 
and  dialects  are  essential.  Already  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Bible  Society  has  distributed  over  1,500,000 
Bibles  throughout  the  Islands.  At  Manila  the 
Methodists  have  an  active  press,  but  its  work 
is  but  a  drop  in  the  ocean  of  needs. 


WANTED:  THE  MEDICAL 
MISSIONARY 

AT  MANILA  the  Methodists  have  fully 
XjL  equipped  the  splendid  Mary  J.  Johnson 
Hospital.  Like  many  of  the  Protestant  denom¬ 
inations,  the  Methodists  have  not  forged  ahead 
with  hospital  work,  depending  upon  the  govern¬ 
ment  for  provision  in  that  line.  But  there  is 
so  great  need  for  medical  work  in  connection 
with  the  purely  evangelistic,  that  one  of  the 
greatest  wants  of  the  Islands  is  the  medical 
missionary  and  hospital  accommodations. 

Outside  of  Manila  and  Iloilo  there  are  no 
hospitals  at  all  save  a  small  one  at  Sagada  for 
the  Igorots  and  another  small  one  at  Zam¬ 
boanga  for  the  Moros  with  a  third  at  Capiz. 
There  are  a  few  doctors  scattered  throughout 
the  Islands,  but  otherwise  the  people  are  at  the 
mercy  of  quacks  and  venders  of  nostrums. 
There  is  no  place  but  Manila  where  an  opera¬ 
tion  can  be  performed. 

At  Capiz,  the  Baptists  have  a  small  but  very 
well  equipped  hospital;  at  Iloilo  they  unite 
with  the  Presbyterians  in  supporting  a  large 
hospital  and  a  training  school  for  nurses. 


Date  Due 

APR  7  ’5 

o 

Q 

_ 

i 

<f) 

i 

INTERCHORCH  WORLD  MOVEMENT  OF  NORTH  AMERICA 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  SURVEY  DEPARTMENT 


DIVISIONS 


SURVEY 

DEPARTMENT 


FOREIGN 


AMERICAN 

EDUCATION 


AMERICAN 
Religious  Education 


AMERICAN 

Hospitals  and  Homes 


BRANCHES 


i—  Fields 


— I  Agencies 


—  Local  Church 


— {  Special  Groups^ 


Mission  Agencies 


Coordination 


1“  Fields 


—  Coordination 


Organization  Relations 


Denominational  and 
Independent  Institutions 


SECTIONS 

-Africa 

-China 

-India 

-Japanese  Empire 
'Malaysia,  Siam 
-Indo-China,  Oceania 
-Philippine  Islands 
-Latin  America 
-Europe 
-Near  East 


-Evangelistic 

-Educational 

-Medical 

-Social  and  Industrial 

-Literature 

-Field  Occupancy 

-Field  Conditions 

-Graphics 

-Statistics 

-Editorial 

-Research  and  Library 
-Cities 

-New  York  Metropolitan 

-Town  and  Country 

-Vvest  Indies 

-Alaska 

-Hawaii 

-Migrant  Groups 
— Cities 

—  New  York  Metropolitan 
— Town  and  Countrv 

—  Negro  Americans 
— New  Americans 

— Spanish-speaking  Peoples 
— Orientals  in  the  U.  S. 

— American  Indian 
— Migrant  Groups 

-Research  and  Library 
-Lantern  Slides 
-Graphics 
-Publicity 
-Statistics 

-Industrial  Relations 

-Colleges 

-Universities 


Tax-Supported  Institutions 


—State  Universities 
— Municipal  Universities 
— State  Agricultural  Colleges 
— State  Norma!  Schools 


^  i  ; -  i — Theological  Seminaries 

Theological  Seminaries  - 1 — College  Biblical  Department# 

Religious  Training  Schools 


Secondary  Schools 


Coordination 


-Comity  and  Cooperation 


E<_oi 

Field 

Standards  and  Norm* 


r-  Home 


3 


Architecture 

Curriculum 

Teachers 


Community 


I — ■ 

— I - 1 

I - * 

EMu8ic 

Pageantry 
Non»churc 


Music 
Pagean 
Non-church  Organizations 


Special  Fields 


3 


—  Field  Organization  | 


Denominational  and  s 

Interdenominational  Agencies 


—  Research  and  Instruction 


L~  Coordination 


E  Editorial 

Statistics  and  Tabulation 
S 


-Schedules 


AMERICAN  MINISTERIAL 
SUPPORT  AND  RELIEF 


-c 


Ministerial  Support 


Pensions  and  Relief 


